Two trade union confederations agree to merge

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In August 2004, two of Romania's five nationally representative trade union confederations - the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS) and the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Romania Brotherhood (CNSLR Fratia) - announced their intention to merge. Although the other three confederations are not in favour of joining the merger, all continue to cooperate on matters of common interest.

The National Trade Union Bloc (Blocul Naţional Sindical, BNS) and the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Romania Brotherhood (Confederaţia Naţională a Sindicatelor Libere din România Frăţia, CNSLR Frăţia) have been considering a merger for over six years, with the most recent failed attempt in 2000. Both confederations have a social democratic orientation and are affiliated to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Following decisions taken by its national council in April 2004 (RO0406102F), BNS extended an invitation to merge to the other four nationally representative trade union confederations (RO0307101F): CNSLR Frăţia; the Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions in Romania (Confederaţia Sindicatelor Democratice din România, CSDR); Cartel Alfa; and Meridian.

In August 2004, BNS and CNSLR Frăţia made public their intention to merge. Ongoing negotiations on the new organisation's management structure are expected to be finalised by October 2004.

CSDR and Cartel Alfa - both of which have a christian democratic orientation and are affiliated to ETUC - and Meridian did not give a favourable response to the merger proposal from BNS. The press highlighted these confederations' concerns about being a party to politicisation of the trade union movement. Over the past few years, BNS has entered into a number of agreements with most political parties. It subsequently withdrew from these agreements on the grounds that they had not been respected, and in April 2004 it set up a new political party RO0406102F- the National Democratic Bloc (Blocul Naţional Democrat, BND), which in August 2004 entered into an electoral agreement with the Great Romania Party (Partidul România Mare, PRM). CNSLR Frăţia is regarded as having privileged relations with the Social Democrat Party (Partidul Social Democrat, PSD), currently in government, with which it entered into a political agreement in October 2003. Cartel Alfa - represented by its regional leader Grigore Pop - has declared that the BNS-CNSLR Frăţia merger will give PSD an advantage by bringing with it 'strong electoral support'.

It has been suggested that the decision to merge was also determined by the financial difficulties of the two confederations, as a result of the decreasing number of union members owing to restructuring and economic reform that has led to massive redundancies.

BNS and CNSLR Frăţia leaders deny the existence of any underlying political reasons for their merger. They state that the merger will create the largest union confederation in south-east Europe, fostering increased bargaining power on the trade union side and enhanced possibilities to promote the interests of union members.

Although most nationally representative union confederations have not taken up BNS's merger offer, all five of them continue to work together on issues of common interest. On 26 August 2004, they held a joint press conference to criticise government plans to amend pensions legislation. Also in August, the leaders of the confederations accepted appointments to the administrative board of Global Videomedia, a holding company that brings together several television companies (including a national news station), radio stations and press agencies. The holding company has been bought by the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Petrom (Federaţia Sindicatelor Libere din Petrom, FSLI Petrom), led by Liviu Luca. Mr Luca has stated that every trade union member in Romania will receive a share in the holding company.